Elf the Musical at Dominion Theatre

Based on the 2003 family fun film starring Will Ferrell, Elf tells the story of Buddy (played by Simon Lipkin) who lives with the elves in Christmas Land and is best friends with a slightly weary Santa. Buddy is very tall, inept at making toys and, unbeknownst to himself, is actually a human man who, as an orphaned baby, crawled into Santa’s sleigh. Upon finding out the truth, Santa sends Buddy to New York City to meet his workaholic father. Will Buddy be able to spread Christmas cheer for all to hear in the Big Apple, or will the realities of the human world be too much for him?

Elf the musical is a sweet, slightly straightforward adaption of the beloved Christmas film, although they do add some fun touches such as a Chinese restaurant filled with depressed, out-of-work Santas and a store manager who believes Buddy has been sent from corporate to test them and thus allows and encourages his eccentric holiday decorating. The plot and resolutions often feel a little too easy: Buddy’s workaholic dad seems to go from zero to 70 in terms of Christmas spirit without a lot of warning, and problems are a little quick to solve to be believable. This wasn’t meant to be a realistic portrayal of life, however, and Elf is a lot of fun.

Lipkin has a strong voice and is endearing as essentially an overgrown child who lacks self-awareness but has a genuine desire to make everyone happy and, because of this, has the ability to understand more than many of the other characters. With Jovie (Georgina Castle), Buddy’s love interest, you don’t see the development of her character from sceptic to Christmas fanatic that you’d perhaps like to see, but the pair are charming together and she also has a great voice. Tom Chambers (Walter Hobbs) is a delight as Buddy’s stressed, wry and overworked dad; he is just brilliant to watch and is perhaps the most relatable character in the show (depending on who is watching of course!).

While the songs mostly aren’t super memorable, they’re still enjoyable: A Christmas Song is cute and pleasant to listen to, In the Way is a personal highlight and does a good job of setting the scene in New York and introducing Buddy’s dad, plus Nobody Cares about Santa is also a lot of fun.

The set design is remarkable, with the screen and movable portions of the stage working together to create impressively realistic sets. Greenway press offices are wonderfully designed, and the bright 9 to 5-esque costumes against the green backing give a lovely 1950s feel to the scenes. The black-and-white introduction to New York, from the skyscrapers in the background to the pedestrian clothing, is a great way to contrast Buddy’s colourful former life in a toy shop to the rude awakening he experiences in the human world. Fake snow is used to charming effect, and the ice skating scenes are also really nicely done.

Elf the Musical is a sweet, colourful and at times tear-jerking musical which is almost aggressively packed with Christmas cheer. It might not linger in your mind for days after, but it is a nice treat for the whole family and will leave you feeling sentimental for that special feeling Christmas gives you when you’re a child who dares to believe in Santa.

Sophia Moss
Photo: Mark Senior

Elf the Musical is at Dominion Theatre from 14^th November until 7^th January 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.